Surgery has long been the mainstay of treatment for acute
appendicitis, but a new review of research shows that antibiotics without
surgical removal of the appendix may be an effective treatment for children and
adults, according to an article in Pediatrics. The article, “Efficacy and Safety of Non-Operative Treatment for Acute Uncomplicated Appendicitis: A Meta Analysis,” will be published in the March 2017 issue of Pediatrics
(published online Feb. 17). The authors reviewed existing literature published
over the past 10 years that included 10 studies reporting on 413 children who
received non-operative treatment rather than an appendectomy. No study reported
any safety concern or specific adverse events related to non-surgical
treatment, although the rate of recurrent appendicitis was 14 percent. The
authors find a lack of robust evidence comparing non-operative treatment with
surgery, but conclude that the data supports future research. The authors
recommend that non-operative treatment for uncomplicated appendicitis be
reserved for those participating in carefully designed research studies,
preferably as large randomized trials.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 66,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org and follow us on Twitter @AmerAcadPeds.